Relationship between Egg Consumption and Body Composition as Well as Serum Cholesterol Level: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2011

We analyzed the relationship between egg consumption, body composition, and serum cholesterol levels. We obtained data on egg consumption by using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) (13,132 adults) and the 24-h dietary recall (24HR) (13,366 adults) from the fourth and fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (2008–2011). In men, consuming 2–3 eggs/week was associated with higher fat mass (FM), percentage body fat (PBF), and fat-to-muscle ratio (FtoM), compared to consuming <1 egg/week. In women, consuming 1–6 eggs/week was associated with higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, consuming 2–6 eggs/week was associated with higher total cholesterol, and consuming 4–6 eggs/week was associated with higher FM and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, compared to consuming <1 egg/week. There was no relationship between egg consumption and the prevalence of dyslipidemia, and there was no relationship between egg consumption, body composition, and serum cholesterol levels according to the 24HR. However, there was some association with other cardiovascular diseases and consumption of certain amounts of eggs. Egg consumption investigated by FFQ was associated with body composition and serum cholesterol levels. However, the egg consumption investigated by the 24HR resulted in no health benefit or harm with respect to body composition and cholesterol.

Radioactivity of long-lived gamma emitters in egg

Radioactivity in egg was investigated. The targeted radionuclides were the long-lived gamma emitters 228Ra, 226Ra, and 40K. Measurements were carried out using a high purity germanium detector. The calculated annual effective dose due to egg consumption was 79 μSv yr-1, which forms 1/4 of the 290 μSv yr-1 world average ingestion exposure from natural sources. Hence, no radiological hazards exist from egg consumption due to the presence of the investigated radionuclides.

Association of Egg Consumption, Metabolic Markers, and Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases

ObjectiveTo simultaneously explore the associations of self-reported egg consumption with plasma metabolic markers and these markers with CVD risk.MethodsTotally 4,778 participants (3,401 CVD cases subdivided into subtypes and 1,377 controls) aged 30-79 were selected from a nested case-control study based on the China Kadoorie Biobank. Targeted nuclear magnetic resonance was used to quantify 225 metabolites and derived traits in baseline plasma samples. Linear regression was conducted to assess associations between self-reported egg consumption and metabolic markers, which were further compared with associations between metabolic markers and CVD risk.ResultsEgg consumption was associated with 24 out of 225 markers, including positive associations for apolipoprotein A1, acetate, mean HDL diameter, and lipid profiles of very large and large HDL, and inverse associations for total cholesterol and cholesterol esters in small VLDL. Among these 24 markers, 14 of them were associated with CVD risk. In general, the associations of metabolic markers with egg consumption and of metabolic markers with CVD risk showed opposite patterns.ConclusionsIn the Chinese population, egg consumption is associated with several metabolic markers, which may partially explain the protective effect of egg consumption on CVD.

Egg Consumption and 4-Year Change in Cognitive Function: The Rancho Bernardo Study

The role of dietary cholesterol in cognitive decline is unclear. Eggs are a rich source of nutrients and dietary cholesterol. This study examines the association of egg consumption with 4-year change in cognitive function in 890 older, community-dwelling adults. Participants were 357 men and 533 women aged □55y (means=70.1□8.4 and 71.5□8.8, respectively, p=0.016), from the Rancho Bernardo Cohort who attended a 1988-91 clinic visit. Egg intake was obtained with a food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed with the Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE), Trails B and category fluency, and reassessed in 1992-96. In this sample, rates of egg consumption ranged from never (14.0% of men, 16.5% of women) to □5/week (7.0% of men, 3.8% of women; p=0.0013). Mean 1988-91 cognitive function scores for men vs. women were 27.5 vs. 27.7 on the MMSE (p=0.08), 105.9 vs. 121.6 on Trails B (p&lt;0.0001), and 20.2 vs. 18.2 on category fluency (p&lt;0.0001). Sex-specific regression analyses examined associations of egg consumption with change in cognitive function. In women, after adjustment for age and education, egg intake was associated with less decline over time in category fluency (beta=-.10, p=0.01), which remained significant after adjustment for smoking, alcohol, exercise, cholesterol, calorie intake, and protein intake (p=0.02). No other associations were found in women, and no associations were observed in men before and after adjustment for covariates. Results suggest that while high in dietary cholesterol, egg consumption is not associated with decline in cognitive function. For women, there may be a small beneficial effect for verbal memory.

Association between egg consumption and metabolic syndrome in Chinese population: a cross-sectional study

ObjectivesMetabolic syndrome (MS) comprises a constellation of symptoms that include abdominal obesity, hypertension, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia. Dietary intake is a crucial environmental risk factor for MS, but the exact association between MS and egg consumption, which accounts for more than half of the daily total cholesterol intake in Chinese population, has not been previously studied. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between dietary egg consumption and the prevalence of MS in the context of a large population.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingsOur study was conducted in a health examination centre in China.ParticipantsParticipants who aged ≥40 years and received routine physical examinations were included for analyses.Main outcome measuresMS was diagnosed in accordance with the clinical diagnosis criteria specified in the American Heart Association Guidelines. Egg consumption was assessed by a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.ResultsA total of 11 529 participants (46.2% women) were included in the present study. On the basis of multivariable logistic regression analysis, egg consumption was negatively associated with the prevalence of MS after adjusting for dietary energy intake (OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.93, p value for trend=0.001). The above findings did not change with further adjustment for other potential confounders: model 2 was further adjusted for age, body mass index and sex (based on model 1) and model 3 was further adjusted for education level, physical activity level, smoking status, alcohol use status, dietary fat intake, dietary fibre intake and nutritional supplementation (based on model 2). Consistent results were obtained from the analysis in the female subgroup but not in male subjects.ConclusionsA higher level of egg consumption was associated with a lower prevalence of MS in our study participants, and particularly in female subjects.

Patterns of Egg Consumption Can Help Contribute to Nutrient Recommendations and Are Associated with Diet Quality and Shortfall Nutrient Intakes

Limited data are available on how eggs are consumed in the typical American eating pattern and the contribution to usual intakes, diet quality and in meeting recommendations. The objectives of the present analysis included identifying how eggs are consumed within U.S. dietary patterns and how these patterns are associated with the usual intakes of shortfall nutrients and diet quality (Healthy Eating Index 2015) using data from the combined National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2001–2016. An additional objective included assessing the differences between egg consumers and egg non-consumers in nutrient intakes and nutrient adequacy. Several egg-containing dietary patterns were identified, and two egg patterns were associated with a greater diet quality compared to a no egg pattern (p < 0.0001). Most egg patterns identified were similar in diet quality scores when compared to the no egg pattern; however, the two egg patterns had lower diet quality scores. Egg consumption combined with a greater intake of total protein foods, seafood and plant protein, total vegetables, total fruit, whole fruit, whole grains and dairy foods, and a lower intake of refined grains and added sugars contributed to an improved diet quality, supporting that no one food is responsible for a healthy dietary pattern. Egg consumers demonstrated significantly higher intakes of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, total choline, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D and vitamin E when compared to egg non-consumers. A comparison of egg consumers and egg non-consumers found egg consumers had significantly less percentages of the population below the EAR for calcium, iron, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Similarly, the percentage of the population above the recommendations for potassium and choline were greater for egg consumers vs. egg non-consumers. In egg consumers, 24.4% of the population was above the AI for dietary choline when compared to 4.3% of egg non-consumers (p < 0.0001). Findings from the present analysis demonstrate that eggs and egg-containing foods can be an important part of a healthy dietary pattern when balanced accordingly with other nutrient-dense foods.

Egg consumption and blood lipid parameters according to the presence of chronic metabolic disorders: The EVIDENT II Study

Context Egg consumption is one of the main dietary sources of cholesterol, but whether individuals who eat more eggs have a worse blood lipid profile remains controversial. Objective We examined the relationship between egg consumption and lipid parameters and explored whether this relationship changes according to the presence of chronic metabolic disorders. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted with adult participants in the EVIDENT II trial. Adjusted linear regression models were stratified by the main chronic metabolic disorders. Results Among the 728 participants (61.9% women, mean age 52.1±11.9 years), the mean egg consumption was equivalent to 5-to-6 eggs per week for a 70 kg individual. In the fully-adjusted analysis, no association was found of egg consumption with total and HDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. Furthermore, compared to the first quartile of consumption, the fourth quartile was associated with lower LDL-c levels (coefficient: -7.01; 95%CI: -13.39, -0.62) and a lower LDL-c/HDL-c ratio (coefficient: -0.24, 95%CI: -0.41, -0.06). In the analyses stratified by chronic metabolic diseases, higher egg consumption was not associated with lipid profile in those with obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, or treated with hypolipidemic drugs, and was associated with a better lipid profile in participants without these conditions. Conclusions Higher egg consumption was not associated with blood lipids in individuals with chronic metabolic disorders. In individuals without such conditions, the lipid profile was better among those who consumed more eggs. Our findings support current guidelines recommending eggs as part of a healthy diet.